Afterwards
by Coqui's Song
Summary: Percy knows Annabeth is pregnant with his twins. But he just doesn't realize how hard it will be... to raise two intelligent, powerful half-bloods.
1. Introduction

Afterwards…

By: _Coqui's Song_

**Hey guys! I felt like posting another story, so here you go, a PJO fanfic! **

**Disclaimer: Do I look like Rick Riordan? Because I really don't see any resemblance. Mostly because I'm a GIRL! **

"You bastard! You Seaweed Brained Son of a-" Annabeth didn't get to finish her sentence. I stepped in quickly and kissed her. I tangled my hands in her curly blond hair, which was tied back in a ponytail. She was angry at me. For no particular reason, really. She'd been getting so moody lately. Why, you ask? It's simple: Annabeth was pregnant. With my kids.

And yeah, I did say _kids._

Annabeth was having twins. My twins.

I'd gotten used to her moodiness, trying to be a steady guy for her. She needed that right now more than anything. I know I'm easily… what's the word? Pushed? Provoked? Whatever. Not now. Not with Annabeth like this. Whenever she had her episodes, I didn't let myself take it personally. It was the hormones talking- not her.

I stepped back and looked lovingly at my beautiful wife. She was red-faced with fury (for who knows what). Huh, you'd think that my kissing her would soften her up when she's pregnant. Not so. Honestly, I had no idea why she was so angry. I don't know why, but I smiled.

"What are you grinning about, Seaweed Brain? Take it off before I take it off for you. You did this to me! Now I'm all big and fat and…" Annabeth looked ready for a fight. She was trembling with barely suppressed rage. Wait. Barely suppressed? No. She was unleashing it at full force like a hurricane. Her gray eyes were so dark they looked like dark gray storm clouds as she glared at me. Both her hands were fists, and she had a scowl on her face so fierce, it was hard, and I mean _really_ hard not to back off.

I took her hands and looked her in the eyes. "Annabeth," I said gently, "You're not fat; you're beautiful- glowing, even." I even would've told her she was more beautiful than Aphrodite herself (which I think is true), but I didn't want to get blasted into ashes by her for a single comment to my wife. Especially when I was going to be a father soon. That would've been bad. I wondered if I'd still get blasted to bits if I wrote down the compliment. I probably would, knowing the gods and goddesses.

Her lip trembled and her eyes became watery. That was it: flattery. Nothing like flattery to make an emotional pregnant wife even more emotional. She threw her arms out and hugged me so tight. I wrapped her in my embrace and closed my eyes, soaking in the moment. I sighed in relief.

You know what she did then? Go on, guess. You're gonna guess it right anyway.

She cried. Yep, she just started bawling on my shoulder. I started rocking her back and forth, comforting her.

"I'm sorry." She said, her voice muffled by my neck. "I'm so, so sorry, Percy."

"Shhh," I said, "Shh. It's okay. It's perfectly fine. I love you, Annabeth." And I gave her a small, soft kiss on her cheek. You really don't know how much I love my wife. I'd do anything and everything for her. I'd kill my best friend, Nico. That won't go too well with Hades, but…. Okay, maybe not killing friends, but you know what I mean.

"Oh, Percy," she sobbed, "I love you, too."

* * *

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my life. You know… my life after I save the world *cough* Olympus *cough* and all that stuff. Because I honestly don't feel like a hero of the world when my wife is yelling at me for no reason. My life, me. Percy Jackson, to-be father.

**So…you like it? Hate it? I know it's short, but when plot bunnies attack… I kinda like it. Sort of. But I must know what you think of it so far! I must be critiqued! PLEASE! **

_**~Coqui's Song**_


	2. Dinner

**So I'm BACK! I update almost every day (depending on the amount of Homework dumping my teachers decide to do), and also depending on whether or not you guys review. I got FIVE reviews yesterday (yes, I am one of those people who get excited with only five reviews). So as a treat, I'm updating! Thank you to those who reviewed!**

You know how I said Annabeth was pregnant with twins? I never said how far along she was, did I? No, I don't think so.

Well, take it from me, she was _pretty_ far along. I'm just gonna come right and say it: It's _one month _till she's due. And they're both girls. That crosses out the practicing of sports when they're five.

Assuming it's not a premature birth, I still have some time to adjust to all this. You know, being a father. Jeez, I'm wondering nonstop about whether or not I'll be a good father. I'll admit it: I'm nervous. But excited. I've had mixed feelings ever since Annabeth told me she was pregnant.

_*Flashback*_

_"Percy, I've just got to make sure, okay?"Annabeth was wriggling with excitement on the couch. _

_"But, you might not be pregnant!"_

_ "It's always better to make sure, okay? Better safe than sorry. I love you, Percy. But I've REALLY got to check. We need to be prepared for everything and anything!" Yep, that's Annabeth. And with that, my wife slammed the door to the bathroom to take her pregnancy test. I sighed._

_ I still didn't know if I wanted kids. I mean, sure, I wanted them, but…. I just didn't know. If she _was_ pregnant, I just wasn't sure if my kid would take me seriously when I said "Stop that" or "Listen to your mother" or even "You're grounded."_

_And as if _those _weren't enough problems, this kid…he or she might have powers, you know, like a half-blood. Like me. Like Annabeth. If the kid had ADHD and dyslexia, then we're gonna have a big problem. We might have to bring him to camp, and if so, what cabin will have him? Another problem to add to the cluster of problems I thought of if we had a kid. _

_ I'm not saying I didn't want a kid. I just wasn't sure if I was ready yet. _

_Annabeth came out of the bathroom with an ear-to-ear grin, waving the test around. She attacked me with a big bear hug and kissed me on the cheek repeatedly. "Oh, Percy, I love you, love you, LOVE YOU!"_

_ "And why might that be?" I asked, even though I knew what the answer would be. And I was absolutely terrified of it._

_"I'm pregnant, Percy!" she replied, and gave me a big smooch._

_ I blinked. "Oh, Annabeth, that's wonderful!" I said, all negative thoughts about children gone in a flood of affection and happiness. She was pregnant! We were going to have a baby! A baby! _

_She beamed. "I knew it, Percy! I knew you'd want a kid!" she said, and kissed me again._

_*End of Flashback*_

"Percy!" Annabeth called from the other room of our apartment. "Are we going or not?" We had to meet Nico for dinner tonight at eight. It was seven thirty.

Annabeth was having cravings. Bad cravings. One time she wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with extra olives and sardines. Can you think of a worse combination than that? How about chocolate-covered strawberries with Cheetos, catfish, ketchup, and mustard? If either of those don't ruin your appetite, I don't know what will. Luckily, though, today was not a day with yucky cravings.

We were just going out to eat pizza. In Little Italy, of course. Where else? And that's when it occurred to me: what if Annabeth was going to ask for something incredibly non-eatable on the pizza? Calm down, Percy, I told myself. We're both going to eat this. Annabeth's smart enough to consider that. Isn't she?

We strolled into the pizzeria. _Mambo Italiano_ was playing softly on speakers. A hostess sat us down in a booth. We sat across from each other, so we could see each other's face. Nico hadn't arrived yet. Annabeth looked beautiful, but tired. "You okay?" I asked, worried.

Annabeth should be getting more sleep. I know I'm being too worrisome, but I want to take the best care of her when she's pregnant. She's my life.

She nodded. "Yeah, just a little tired, I guess."

"Okay. But when we get home, you should go to bed."

"Percy!" she rolled her eyes at me. "Anyone would think _I'm_ your kid instead of the ones in my tummy!"

"Sorry, but I'm serious."

Just then, Nico arrived and slid into our booth next to me. "Hey. How's it going?"

"Hey, Nico." I said, looking at my seventeen year old cousin. Nico and I had created a close bond over the years, and I know he saw me as a big brother. I guess it's because he lost Bianca. I didn't want to admit he was like a little brother to me, too.

"I'm pregnant." said Annabeth.

Nico grinned. "I know that. Congrats, guys."

"Thanks." I said.

The waitress came up and asked, "Is there anything you want to drink?"

I said instantly, "I'll have a Coke."

"Coke, please." said Nico.

Before Annabeth could say 'Coke', I said "Lemonade for her, please." which meant I received a glare from her. Look, I was _not _going to let her have soda on my watch with a child, I don't care about any of your objections like "you can have soda when you're pregnant! It's only alcohol, smoking, and other drugs that you can't do!" I'm taking extra precautions, okay?

"Okay." said the waitress, and she left.

Nico turned to me. "Can I ask you something, though?"

"Sure."

"Can the kids call me 'Uncle Nico'?" If I had my Coke, I would've spewed it, I was laughing so hard. Annabeth was laughing, too, but Nico's face was deadly serious, which only made me laugh more.

"Sure, Nico. Whatever you want." I said, smiling.

"Okay, now this is _really _serious. What... are we going to have on our pizza?" asked Nico.

Man, for a son of Hades, he sure has a sense of humor. I cracked up, and couldn't stop. Finally, I managed to stop my gut from exploding out of my stomach.

Annabeth listed it so easily. "Extra cheese, olives, peppers, and pepperoni." Ah, good, she didn't list anything…unusual on a pizza. Nico nodded.

The waitress came back, and gave us our beverages. We ordered our pizza, and she left. I sipped on my Coke halfheartedly. "So…Nico, why exactly did you want us to have dinner with you?"

He gave me an alarmed look. "Why? I can't just want the company of friends? Gods, you act like something's wrong. Nothing's wrong.

"Er, okay. But you came all the way from camp to see us." I said, raising an eyebrow.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm just super bored there. It's not easy for everyone to stop being the hero. I still want some of that action. I shadow-traveled here, okay?"

Annabeth nodded. "Percy, seriously, let him be. Stop pushing him. He's telling the truth."

"Thank you!" Nico said sarcastically.

The waitress came by again, this time with our pizza, and we dug in silently. Nico inhaled a couple pieces, while Annabeth and I ate more slowly. "Tired of healthy food, huh?" I asked him.

"Oh, yeah. This is great pizza. Not as good as in Italy, but still awesome."

"You went to Italy?" Both Annabeth and I asked.

"Yeah. I shadow-traveled there. I figured I should go to my roots, you know? Half-Italian, Half-Greek god." He chuckled. "I went to Venice, Rome, all that stuff." Then he looked thoughtful. "I'm thinking about learning Italian. I dunno. I just…wanna feel closer to my mom. I think learning her language can help me with that."

I understood what he was saying. My mom was still alive, but Nico wasn't even allowed to see his mom in his own turf- the Underworld. He could see his sister, but not his mom. Nico looked really sad, so I said, "Don't worry about it. You'll speak it great. It's just the reading and writing that might be the problem." I grinned.

"Yeah. So how's college going?" I could tell Nico really wanted to change the subject before he cried like a little kid.

"Well," Annabeth started, "I took summer classes, so I've only got one to two years left before I can be an architect. But this year, I couldn't go to the college, so I was taking online classes. When these two decide to pop out, then, I'll be going to the college."

"I'm pretty much finished with my master's degree in Marine Biology, but I still gotta take online classes, et cetera, to get my PhD in it. So, as you can guess, I'm gonna be stuck taking care of our babies while Annabeth is finishing school." I said.

Annabeth glared at me, as if to say: _And _what_ is wrong with taking care of our babies?_ So I added, "I don't mean it like that, I just don't know if I'll ever have time for myself with two twin babies."

She gave me a tiny little nod.

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Going through mood swings?"

"Mood swings, morning sickness, cravings, the whole enchilada." I said, feeling suddenly tired. _Stop,_ I told myself. _It'll all pay off in the end._ But will it? If taking care of a crabby pregnant wife is hard, what about cranky little kids? I wasn't sure I could do it. _You _can._ If you can save Olympus, this should be a piece of cake for you._

I didn't what kind of dad I'd be, if my kids would love me or hate my guts, but I'd try. And that's what really counts. That you try.

Nico had to run (shadow-travel) back to camp as soon as we were finished and payed the bill, so Annabeth and I went home, too.

When we got home, Annabeth was so tired; she just slapped on some pajamas and collapsed on the bed. I couldn't blame her. I stayed up a little longer, though. Until maybe… one o'clock in the morning. Yeah, well this is the city that never sleeps, people. And apparently, neither do I. I had serious insomnia because, well, I kept thinking about how being a father would change my life. Because it always does, right?

** Okay, I might've lied. A LITTLE longer? No. This is WAY longer. Ha-ha 'Nico's face was deadly serious…' Get the pun? DEADLY serious? He's the son of Hades? Ah, whatever. But I hoped you liked it. As always, REVIEW!**

**_~Coqui's Song _**


	3. Names, names, and, oh! More names

**Hi, again! This chapter will be pretty short, considering it's more of a fill-in chapter. Percy and Annabeth are just looking for names for their kids. Thank you to reviewers! You guys are the ones who really make me want to update!**

**Percy POV**

My eyes hurt from looking at the computer screen for two hours. I was looking for names for our twins, but neither really popped out to me. Nothing said "HEY! NAME YOUR KID ME!" to me.

After hitting my head on the desk a couple times, I said, "Hey, Annabeth?"

"Yes?" she asked, reading a book about parenting next to me.

"What about Marina? It's Slavic, meaning _Of the Sea._"

Annabeth thought for a moment. "Save it, we'll see later."

"Okay." Ireplied. I wrote _Marina_ on a list I'd made, which had three other names, _Athena_ (the biggest flattery, isn't it?), _Marissa_ (Spanish: of the Sea),_ Aqua_ (Greek: of the Water), _Hali _(Greek: Sea). I hope you're seeing a pattern here.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find as many Athena-related (names that meant 'intelligent' or anything related to Athena) names as I could Poseidon. You can see by the above list. I was wracking my brain. Then I found one. _Patia _(Greek: Intellectually Superior).

"Annabeth, what about Patia? It means Intellectually Superior."

"No."

I tried hard not to seethe. I'd finally found one, and she'd said no without thought! My anger didn't last long, because I found another one. Sophia! Greek, meaning wisdom! "What about Sophia?"

"What does it mean?"

"Wisdom."

"Write it on the list." This one was going on the list! I've conquered! I wrote it down.

I saw another, Greek, meaning Wise, Telly, but it was unisex, so I ditched it. I stopped dead when I saw Thalia's name on it. _Thalia, origin: Greek, meaning: Joyful._ I burst out laughing at that.

"What, Percy?" Annabeth asked.

"Th-th-Thalia's name. It…it means…" I said, unable to stop cracking up. "It means…joyful. If I know Thalia, she's anything but."

Annabeth cracked a smile at the mention of our friend, but she didn't laugh. "Come on, Percy. She's capable of feeling and showing happiness."

I nodded. "I know. It's just…_joyful?_"

Annabeth shrugged, but she was smiling so wide, I knew she was doing her best to fight laughing.

I kept looking. No more Greek names meaning anything "intelligent". I sighed and clicked Latin names. I was already at the L's and still nothing! Not even sea-related! Oh, now! Liv and Livi: both Latin, both meaning Olive Tree and Peace. I told Annabeth this. She told me to put Livi on the list, leave out Liv.

Or Minerva; the Roman name for Athena. (Still a big flattery isn't it?) Put it on the list. By now we had four Athena names, and four Poseidon names. I still wanted to keep looking.

Olive. That explains itself. Put it on the list. When I saw what was next, I stopped dead. Olivia. Latin, meaning Peace- of the Olive Tree. "Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"What about Olivia?"

She put her book down and stared at me. "Olivia?" she grinned hugely. "I love it! Put it on the list! Please!"

"Will do." I said, and I wrote it down. At this point, I'd found enough Athena names, and started focusing on Poseidon. But none leaped out to me.

I clicked Italian names. No such luck. But I did find Nico's name. It meant Victorious People. Man, if only they knew. I typed in his dead sister's name. It was only fair. Bianca's name meant Fair-skinned in Latin. I'd skipped over it while looking for Athena names in Latin.

Frustrated, I clicked Spanish names, even though I'm not, and never will be Spanish. I should've known better. Most names were related to God. Not gods, as in more than one, God, as in the God most people now believe in. And I knew that. Most Spanish people take their religion, whether it's Catholic (which most Hispanic people are) or really anything else, very seriously.

I found a name, Marisol, that meant Sunny Sea, but it didn't leap out like a fish at me. Pretty, but not what I wanted. Now I was really frustrated.

I clicked on American names, just to see. M's already and I was bored with them. Then I saw it: Misty. That doesn't really have to be explained, either. Misty. I let the sound of the name fill my ears and I was in love with it.

"Misty," I said suddenly, then smiled. It sounds so much better when you say it aloud. So much prettier.

"What?" asked Annabeth.

"Misty." I said, suddenly determined to name one of our daughters that. "I want to name one Misty." I wrote it down without her even telling me. I was finished with the list.

Now, we'll decide among the ten names, _Marina, Athena, Aqua, Marissa, Hali, Sophia, Livi, Minerva, Olivia,_ and_ Misty._ Huh. Look at that. I stared out having trouble finding Athena names and ended up having the same amount (purposely) Athena than Poseidon names.

"So…which ones?" I asked.

Annabeth frowned. "I think, Percy, that maybe you could cross Marissa, Athena, Hali, and Minerva off the list."

I raised an eyebrow. That many? I wasn't so sure. "Are you sure? That many names- zapped out?"

"Yeah, Athena and Minerva, they're nice and all, but it's the name of my mother. Too weird. Marissa? We aren't Hispanic. Let Clarisse and Chris use Spanish names. Hali? I don't know… I just don't really like it." She replied.

"I understand. Oh, Annabeth, what about Livi? I like that name." I asked.

"Hmm… I like Olivia better, but it's cute, I agree." She said thoughtfully.

"How about this- I'll agree to name one of our daughters Olivia if I can nickname her Livi. And, who knows, maybe some other nicknames." I said.

"I think that can be arranged."

So I crossed _Sophia _off, too. "Okay, that leaves _Aqua_, _Misty_, and _Marina._" I said.

Annabeth tipped her head, thinking. "I'm in between _Misty _and _Marina_. I think those are very pretty."

"Misty." I said immediately.

Annabeth eyed me carefully. "Why?"

"I said it before; I want to name one Misty. I just think that it's pretty. Marina's a good name, but… I want Misty."

My wife hesitated. "I'm not sure."

I glared at her. "I compromised for you. Can't you compromise?"

She sighed. "Yes, I can. I'm sorry, Percy. And it is a pretty name." She sounded tired. "Misty it is."

I snuggled affectionately with Annabeth. "Hey, why don't we just go to sleep now, huh?"

"Sleep would be nice." She agreed, and leaned on my shoulder.

**Okay, so I lied. It was a long chapter. But it was pretty boring. But we did need a fill-in chappie. Sigh. So boring. I wanted to do some fluff, but it's kinda hard when Annabeth and Percy are arguing over what to name their children. Review Please! And guys, I mean it. If you favorite me or my stories, I want you to review. I don't want some random email from Fanfiction saying someone favorited me, and when I look at my reviews no one reviewed. I have my whole rave about it in my profile if you want to see it. **

**Until then,**

**_~Coqui's Song_**


	4. Birth

**Thanks to all reviewers! I'll name them now:TayMacK, jahfreenalam, and TwinGleeks101. Thank you! I really didn't feel like writing more of Annabeth's crabby pregnant additude, so here is the much awaited chapter: the birth of their twins. Guys, these twins are fraternal, but the happen to look exactly alike (WEIRD), except their eye color, which will be given later because everyone is born with blue eyes. (Did you know that? I DID!). So here it is:**

"Push! Push!" the doctor, Dr. Ramirez urged Annabeth.

"Yes, because I'm not!" Then she went through another contraction and fell silent.

After she recovered, she yelled at me, "Percy, remind me later to never have more kids!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? Besides, we're having twins, in case you didn't know." And stopped again, because of yet another contraction.

She'd been in labor for eight hours, now, and I was very worried. They should've come out by now, right? Was something wrong? I knew zip about childbirth, so I had no idea about what would happen. I only knew about from movies watched.

Another contraction took place, and Annabeth wailed in agony, grabbing my hand and just about cut my circulation. It hurt like Hades. She had a grip so tight I thought she'd break my hand, but I took deep breaths, waiting for her deadly hold to loosen. _Ow. Ow. Ow. OW!_

After two more contractions, a very satisfied Dr. Ramirez said, "Oh, look! A little head's sticking out!"

"Oh, good," said Nurse Morgan.

I quickly pulled free of Annabeth's grip to look at the baby. Anything but a smashed hand. Unfortunately, I hadn't really prepared for that moment. Let's just say one look and I passed out cold.

* * *

When I came around, and Annabeth was working on the second baby. I jumped up, extremely embarrassed that I hadn't witnessed the birth of our firstborn. I stood next to her, and mumbled, "Sorry."

Her contractions were making it impossible for her to laugh, but she almost smiled and muttered, "Seaweed Brained even when his children are born."

Our second baby slid out easily, about two minutes after I came around. I looked at my two beautiful twin daughters as I held them. Their faces looked exactly the same, not a difference that I could see. But they looked like their faces had been carved by angels. "They're beautiful," I murmured.

Dr. Ramirez glanced up and grinned. "All babies are beautiful, Mr. Jackson." I guess I must've looked dejected or something, because she quickly said, "But these two might take the prize, if I weren't in love with another baby."

"What baby?" I asked, kind of hurt.

"Mine." She said, and I thought, _oh. _"Her name's Marissa. She was born six months ago." _Well, I'm glad we weren't going to name one of our twins Marissa._

Thankfully, the doctors had given them different color blankets. One was in pink, our firstborn, and our second-born in blue. I only know that because Dr. Ramirez's nurse, Nurse Morgan, (who'd helped out a LOT, by the way,) told me.

I was almost overwhelmed with the emotion I was feeling- relief, joy, peace, love, and immensely proud of Annabeth for bravely bearing these two tiny creatures. As I held them I was so relaxed. These two tiny creatures were mine. They belonged to me. And I was suddenly overcome with another feeling too- power. No, I don't mean power as in me. I mean, I felt it in my two twins.

The one in blue… she felt so powerful to me… almost like a big three kid… I was almost shaking just by holding her. The one in pink… there was power there, but much weaker than her sister's. No, it was _intelligence _I felt there. Power and intelligence. Me and Annabeth. These two would be a dangerous combination.

"So which will we name Olivia and which Misty?" asked a very tired but proud looking Annabeth.

"The one in pink Olivia. Misty the one in blue." I said immediately.

She eyed me carefully. "Why?"

"I just… feel like it's the way it should be." I couldn't explain it.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at me. Then she sighed. "I should trust your judgment, Percy." Then she smiled at me affectionately. "I mean, where would I be if you didn't follow your heart?"

"Um… I think you'd be dead." I mused.

"True," she agreed.

I felt one of my fingers being sucked on. I glanced down to see Misty sucking on one of my fingers. _Aww… _I thought, then stiffened. Why did I just think that? I shook my head to clear it.

"They're beautiful." Annabeth whispered as she gazed at them.

"They're yours," I blurted out. "Of course they'd be beautiful."

Annabeth blushed. I didn't know she could do that near me anymore. Apparently she could. "They're yours, too, Percy." She took Olivia from me. She kissed her on the baby's forehead. "You're going to be a very smart girl," she said lovingly.

She handed Olivia back to me and took Misty. She had an expression of pure love and admiration as she saw both of them, and kissed Misty's cheek. This may sound stupid, but I knew she loved them. All it took was a single glance and BAM! I love you.

And I loved them too. They were my kids. My daughters. I wondered, not for the first time, what kind of dad I'd be. The overprotecting type- "You can't date till I'm dead." (They'd probably think _that can be arranged…_) Or too easygoing- "Sure, whatever! You're young! Do your thing!" (_Not the response I thought we'd get…_) Or right in the middle, which is what I hope I'll be. "No going out unless you've done all your homework, done your chores, and practiced sword-fighting." (_Uh! I hate chores! Not too fond of homework either… but it's fair…_)

"I love you, Annabeth." I said impulsively. We'd gone through so much together. All of our quests… and much more.

_*Flashback*_

_"Annabeth…" I tried to start. _

_"First things first, Seaweed Brain. Why did you bring me to the hundred second floor of the Empire State Building at 11:56 pm? It's not Olympus, and we should be getting home." She said._

_11:56? NO! I had to stall… I wanted to do this right at midnight. "Because the view is just so beautiful at this time of night." I said evasively._

_Annabeth looked around at New York City. "Well, you're right… but, why tonight? You just randomly say tonight at seven that you want a walk around the city, then you bring me up here, with no explanation, and now you say it?"_

_I glanced at my watch. 11:58. A warm breeze ruffled my hair."Well… yeah. It's pretty clear tonight and they said tomorrow's gonna rain…"_

_"Seaweed Brain," Annabeth muttered, but she didn't say anything else. _

_Another glance at my watch. It said 11:59. Now was the time. I got down on my knees and pulled out the engagement ring. "Annabeth…" I said looking up at her. _

_She'd been looking around again, but at my call, she turned her head to me and her eyes widened. _

_"These past few years with you… they were the happiest of my life. And… well… I don't really know how to say this, but… I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So… what I'm really trying to say is… Annabeth… Wise Girl… will you…will you marry me?" I felt so _stupid!_ Stammering like an idiot while she was waiting for me to get to the point!_

_I didn't even care about the time anymore. I knew it was midnight. But I just didn't care. I just wanted her answer. After what it felt like an hour, but was really only ten seconds, she said, "Well, Seaweed Brain. Think for a moment. Would anyone else put up with you?"_

_I blinked. "So… your answer is…" _

_"Yes, Seaweed Brain! Of course I will! I've been waiting _ages _for you to ask me! Yes. I love you, Percy." she said, took the ring, and pulled me into a deep kiss. And I couldn't feel anything except our lips connected. It seemed we would stay that way for eternity. _

_*End of Flashback*_

Annabeth smiled at me, her eyes full of peace. She laid her head on my shoulder. "I love you too, Percy."

**Just so you guys know, the Empire State Building is open until 2:00 am, so yeah. Percy and Annabeth are nineteen as he proposes, and I think that it's just so cute that he trys to be romantic. Ah, he's just so clueless! I love Percy. Hasta la Vista!**

**~_Coqui's Song_**


	5. Visiters

**Hi! I'm BAAAAACK! When did I last update? I have no clue. Thank you to my reviewers who were patiently waiting: Golden Raindrops, emtollyxtanctosson, Calypso C, jahfreenalam, XS Fanatic, PJ Fan111, Huntress of the Sky13, and Kstar101.**

"Mr. Jackson, Mrs. Jackson, you have visitors." said a happy Nurse Morgan, Dr. Ramirez's assistant, and she let them in as she left. She had long auburn hair that fell down her back, and it was curled so that I thought she'd taken it out of a braid this morning.

Nico came in first and hugged me fiercely- something really unlike him. "Whoa, man," I said.

"Sorry, Percy. I'm just so happy for you guys! I always knew this'd happen. Remember: I'm Uncle Nico to them now." He said, pulling away.

I grinned. "I know."

"So that means I must be Aunt Thalia, right?" a voice said. It was Thalia, strolling in.

"I don't like it," she complained, "It makes me sound old, which as we all know, I'm still fifteen, and always will be fifteen." Thalia was, of course, still with the Hunters.

Nico looked sort of… I don't know. Upset? "I wish not." He murmured, so quietly only I could hear him.

"I'm surprised Artemis didn't show up to help out with Annabeth." I mused.

Nurse Morgan ran back and poked her head through the door. "How do you know that, Perseus Jackson?" She frowned at me.

I tensed. Only friends and enemies who know who I am call me Perseus, my real name. I suddenly recognized the auburn hair, the strange yellow eyes. _"Artemis?" _I asked, shocked.

She entered again, and as she did, her form changed until I was staring at a young girl, about twelve years old, wearing a silver dress and a long braid down her back. "What, Percy? I can't help the Savior of Olympus and the Architect of Olympus bring their children into the world? I may be a virgin goddess, Perseus, but I'm also the goddess of childbirth. I helped out didn't I?"

"Thanks, Artemis." I said. "A lot."

"You're welcome, young half-blood. Now I must be on my way with my Hunters. Thalia?" Artemis said.

"Yes, my lady?" asked Thalia.

"Are you going to stay?"

"Yes, I am, Lady Artemis. Only for a while, though. I'll catch up with all of you later." Thalia replied.

"All right. We'll be staying at Camp Half-Blood. It's near here, and I don't want to go too far." Artemis said.

Thalia nodded. "Okay."

Artemis started glowing, and we all averted our eyes so we didn't disintegrate. A moment later she was gone.

"I can't believe she was here the whole time and she never told me. I would've felt safer knowing Artemis was taking care of Annabeth!" I said.

"Maybe not, Percy. She's the goddess of childbirth, yes, but she sometimes kills the mothers who are in too much pain while giving birth. It hurts her to see women like that. So she ends their suffering. I've never seen it happen, but Artemis has done it." Thalia mused.

I wasn't sure how to respond. My only response was, "Oh,"

* * *

Annabeth was sleeping now. Thalia sat on a chair. She smiled peacefully. "Hey, Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe these two will join the Hunters." She said. I wasn't sure if she was teasing or not.

"I won't let them."

"It _is _their decision. Percy, you won't be able to protect them forever. There will come a day that you will have to let go." Thalia said.

I scowled and looked away. "What do _you_ know about raising a child?"

"What do _you_?" she snapped back.

I flinched. She was right. I knew _nothing._ She'd hit a nerve I hoped she wouldn't. I was always hiding my fears- my fears that I'd be a bad father to my twins. I stayed silent until Thalia said, "Sorry, Percy. I didn't mean to snap."

I shook my head. "You're right. I'm gonna be a terrible father."

"Percy, you're not. You're going to be a great father. I promise." Thalia said.

I didn't say anything.

* * *

Nico and Thalia stayed for a little, and finally my mother came in with Paul. "Oh, Percy! They're wonderful!" she exclaimed, giving me a big hug.

I smiled. "Hey, Mom. Hey, Paul. Yeah, I know they're beautiful."

"Hi, Percy." said Paul.

"Oh, I'm a grandmother now!" she said, and she took Olivia and Misty. One in each hand. "Oh, Percy, this reminds me so much how you were born!" She kissed both her granddaughters.

I smiled even wider, even though Thalia was sniggering with Nico.

"Hi, Ms. Jackson, Mr. Blofis." said Thalia, trying to hide her smirk, and she stood up to shake their hands.

Paul wasn't freaked out anymore about Greek Mythology being real; he knew Thalia was Artemis's lieutenant. "Thalia, a pleasure to see you again." He said.

"The pleasure is all mine, Paul." Thalia said.

"Hello, Thalia." My mother said. "Hi, Nico."

Nico too stood up, and shook their hands. "Hi Ms. Jackson, Mr. Blofis."

Dr. Ramirez stepped in. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson, but visiting hours are over. You and your friends and family will have to leave."

"Already?" I murmured. "Okay."

"Well, I'm glad we got to see these two beauties before visiting hours ended!" said my mother.

I walked up to Annabeth and kissed her cheek. "Love you."

Annabeth blinked up sleepily. "Love you, too."

"Bye."

**Please review! I did some research on Artemis (ah, yes, because she IS my fav goddess), and I found out that she would help woman give birth. If they were in too much pain, Artemis would kill them. So yeah.**

**Golden Raindrops: I know many of these are the same. I'll try to put my own plot twists and stuff in here. HOWEVER, Misty and Olivia don't have Greek names, because I myself noticed that and was tired of reading names I don't know how to read. And most of these chapters are prewritten, so they aren't really fresh from my mind. **

**XS Fanatic: Thank you for loving it! I really just think it's okay…**

**Huntress of the Sky13: I'm a girl, so that kinda ruins the whole "dude" effect. Anyway, I know perfectly well the last elevator up is at 1:15. However, the building is open till 2:00 am. Anyway, how IS Zeus?**

**~_Coqui's Song_**


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